The month of November kicked off with the sad news of the untimely demise of Africa Geographic – www.africageographic.com – after nearly 20 years in the care of the Borchert family. This world-class conservation and geographical magazine had been in financial trouble for some time, so the news was not totally unexpected. The liquidation of AFRIPUBLISH Printing (PTY) LTD and its successor Black Eagle Media (PTY) LTD did, however, leave a string of disgruntled creditors and contributors in its wake.

The final issue of Africa Geographic

Despite eleven different payment plans and umpteen promises of money from the editor, Sarah Borchert, it was 22 months since I last received any cash from the struggling magazine and they went bang still owing me in the region of R 43 000. Aside from the financial impact suffered by its freelance contributors, the magazine’s sudden departure from the newsstands has also robbed Africa (albeit temporarily) of its loudest and most respected voice in conservation and environmental matters. With the rhino genocide heading into overdrive and the slaughter of our continent’s elephants escalating almost daily, the termination of Africa Geographic at this crucial time is a terrible loss to wildlife and conservationists alike.

Thankfully, after its rocky start, the month improved with a much-needed family vacation to the recently upgraded Angala Boutique Hotel – www.angala.co.za – situated on the outskirts of Franschhoek. Formerly Cathbert Country Inn, rebranded Angala is a stunning retreat where luxury and opulence blend seamlessly with the pristine beauty of nature. With an enviable location on the verdant slopes of the magnificent Simonsberg Mountain in the heart of the Cape winelands, Angala is a destination of rejuvenation where you can revive your body, mind and soul. Although it’s a great base from which to explore the wineries of Franschhoek, Paarl and the Helshoogte Pass, it’s also a wonderful place to simply relax and do nothing at all, savouring the myriad amenities of this five-star guesthouse and its spacious suites. Wanting some downtime to recharge and catch up with the family, we opted for the latter and the idyllic weather ensured we had an incredible time and found it very hard to leave.

Supporting our Springboks against Scotland

The end of the month sees Katherine brave two long-haul flights with an infant on the perennially poor KLM airline when she heads to America to see her family. It has quite literally been years since we last experienced a drama-free flight on the hapless Dutch airline and Katherine is stealing herself for the almost inevitable challenges that lie in store.

[Postscript: After more than three hours of stress, tears and immense frustration at Cape Town International, Katherine was forced to buy Charlie a whole new ticket simply because KLM and Delta failed to communicate regarding his original reservation on the codeshare flights. The whole process was devoid of customer service with Maria, the KLM flight controller, being an especially unhelpful and unaccommodating old hag.]

While my wife and son are enjoying Thanksgiving in Minnesota, I’ll be taking a GWM Steed double-cab bakkie and my brother-in-law on a serious overland expedition through Khutse Game Reserve, Central Kalahari and the Makgadikgadi Pans for SA 4×4 magazine. Watch this space next month for more on this epic adventure…

The suites of Angala Boutique Hotel enjoy an enviable position high on the slopes of the Simonsberg